Apparatus for winding fire hose



March 10, 1964 P. A. RYLOTT ETAL 3,124,321

APPARATUS FOR WINDING FIRE HOSE Filed May 31', 1962 40A INVENTORS PIERCE A. RYLOTT AND FIG, 2 ERNEST RAYMOND CONNER JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,124,321 APPARATUS FQR VENDING FIRE HOSE Pierce A. Ryiott, 700- Stove Road, Pittsford, N.Y., and Ernest lita ynlonrl Conner, Jr., 3825 Atlantic Ave, Fairpcrt, N.Y.

Filed May31, 1962, Ser. No. 198,890 11 Claims. (Cl. 242-862) This invention relates to an apparatus for winding fire hose.

In the past, many attempts have been made to devise satisfactory apparatus for winding lengths of fire hose having interlocking coupling members on opposite ends thereof. However, our invention is the first completely satisfactory apparatus for winding lengths of fire hose. The lack of satisfactory apparatus in the prior art accounts for the fact that, presently, most fire hose is still manually wound convolutely about itself to form a neat roll.

The present invention overcomes the known awkward time consuming apparatus for winding fire hose into a roll.

One object of our invention is to provide novel apparatus for winding fire hose.

An additional object of our invention is to provide less expensive, simpler and more satisfactory apparatus for accomplishing the ends of automatically winding fire hose.

An important feature of our invention is the provision of spaced tines, adapted to receive one of theinterlocking coupling members of a length of hose, being eccentrically positioned with respect'to a rotational axis extending through the center ofgravity of a plate carrying the tines, thereby to position the center of gravity of the coupling member on the rotational axis ofthe plate.

A significant object of our invention is to provide novel apparatus adapted for automation in convolutely winding fire hose.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be particularly setforth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

PK 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of our invention;

FIG. 2 is a top planar view of the embodiment of our invention illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

In the illustrated embodiment, we provide a mobile supporting structure or carriage generally indicated by the numeral 9, including rigidly connected horizontal crossmembers and vertical cross-members 11 supported on rotatable casters or wheels 12. Carriage 9 includes a handle member 13 of U-shapecl configuration, rigidly interconnected to the supporting structure provided by the cross-members 10 and 11.

Handle 13 provides a convenient means for the operafor to manually control the movement of the illustrated embodiment of our invention in a manner simulating that of a lawn mower.

The illustrated embodiment of our invention includes a gasoline engine or motor 14 including a gas tank 15. A centrifugal clutch 16 selectively interconnects motor 14 and a sprocket 17 for driving sprocket 17, in turn driving a second sprocket 18 through a chain 19. Sprocket 13 drives a gear reducer 21} carried by a plate 21 rigidly mounted on one of the horizontal cross-supports 10. Gear reducer rotatably carries at its outer end a circular disc or plate 22 having an outer face 23 of slightly convex contour. A horizontal center line 24 illustrated in FIG. 2 is the horizontal rotational axis of plate 22 exice tending through substantially the center of gravity of plate 22.

In FIG. 1 at 25 and 25A, we have illustrated vertical and'horizontal center lines intersecting each other on the rotational axis 24.

It will be noted that we have provided a pair of vertically spaced tines 26 and '27 projecting substantially laterally of the plate 22 and axially of the horizontal rotational axis 24. Times 26 and 27 are rigidly carried on plate 22 asfor example, by welding 29 illustrated in FIG. 2. Times 26 and 27 are adapted to receive a fire hose 31 therebetween and to align one of the interlocking coupling members 30 so that the center of gravity of the coupling member 30 intersects the horizontal rotational axis 24 of plate 22. -It will be understood, from FIGS. 1 and 2, that each of the tines 26 and 27 has an outer circumferential surface tapering axially away from the plate. This feature of our invention facilitates the removal of the fire hose after it has been wound about the coupling 30 and tines 26 and 27. :This is of significance to our invention because eachcoupling member 36 attached to opposite ends of lengths of fire hose 31 are generally large and constructed of brass having a substantial weight. When the plate 22 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, as indicated by the arrow 33, by motor 14, there is a complete weight balance relationship of the plate 22, tines 26 and 27, and coupling 3% as the hose 31 is being wound spirally upon itself and about coupling30 and the tines. This weight balanced arrangement of our construction during operation prevents the undesirable characteristics of an unbalanced dynamic system.

As the hose is being wound, the tail end of the hose may be manually held at a position radially spaced from the-horizontal rotational axis 24 so that an inner edge 32 of fire hose 31, is radially aligned by surface 23 as the hose 31 is being spirally wound.

A further feature of our invention, we provide an adjustable hose guide generally indicated by the numeral 35 cooperating with surface 23 of plate 22'for guiding an outer edge 41 of hose 31 radially from axis 24. Hose guide 35, shown in detail in FIG. 3, includes a tubular member 36 slidably mounted on a circular cross-sectional bar support 37, which support is rigidly connected to and'supported by carriage 9, as for example by' welding 38 and a brace 39. Tubular member 36 has a radial flange 40 axially spaced from the outer face 23 of plate 22. Flange 4%) guides the outer edge 41 of fire hose 31 while the hose 31 is being wound upon itself as illustrated in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in broken lines at 40A, the flange 40 and tubular member 36 are slidable to selected positions for radially aligning selected widths of flattened fire hose 31 intermediate plate 22 and and the flange 441 as the hose is being wound upon itself. Tubular member 36 and flange 44) are adjustably secured in selected posi tions by means of axially spaced grooves or slots 42 and 43 of bar 37 receiving a finger operated detent plunger 45 carried by tubular member 36. Support 37 carries a stop 46 at its outer end to limit the sliding motion of tubular member 36.

We have discovered that providing the above mentioned slightly convex exterior surface 23 on plate 22, thereby concaving the interio-rly disposed surface of the rolled hose 31, presents the advantage of a roll of hose, the outside convolutions of which will not unwind as the roll is being removed manually from the tines 26 and 27.

In operation the hose guide 35 is positioned for the selected width of flattened fire hose 31. The tines 26 and 27 receive and position the coupling 30 as above described. The motor 14 is actuated to rotate the plate 22 thereby to spirally wind the hose 31 about the tines 26 and 27, the

coupling 30 and upon itself until the full length has been completely wound into a roll. The motor 14 is stopped or the clutch 16 is disengaged and the roll of fire hose, thereby provided, is manually removed from the tines 26 and 27 to provide a simply and conveniently rolled spiral of fire hose.

While we have shown and described the pref-erred form of mechanism of this invention it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for winding fire hose having interlocking coupling members at opposite ends comprising, in combination,

(a) means for rotating one of said coupling members about an axis extending laterally through substantially its center of gravity, said means being arranged to align the center of gravity of said one coupling member with said axis thereby being dynamically balanced upon rotation thereof, and

(b) means for aligning a first edge of said hose radially from said axis as the hose is being wound, thereby winding said hose spirally upon itself.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which,

() said rotating means comprises a pair of spaced tines radially spaced from said axis for aligning the center of gravity of said one coupling members with said axis.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including,

(0) guide means radially spaced from said axis and cooperating with said aligning means for guiding a second edge of said hose.

4. Apparatus for winding fire hose having interlocking coupling members at opposite ends comprising, in combination,

(a) a plate,

(b) means for rotating said plate about a substantially horizontal axis extending through the rotational center of gravity of said plate, and

(c) aligning means carried by said plate for aligning the center of gravity of one of said coupling members with said horizontal axis, thereby being dynamically balanced upon rotation thereof.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including,

((1) guide means radially spaced from said axis and axially spaced from said plate for guiding said hose thereby to spirally wind said hose about said aligning means as said plate is rotated.

6. Apparatus for Winding fire hose having interlocking coupling members at opposite ends comprising, in combination,

(a) a plate,

(b) means for rotating said plate about a substantially horizontal axis extending through the rotational center of gravity of said plate, and

(0) two spaced tines extending substantially laterally from said plate and being eccentrically spaced from said rotational center of gravity of the plate, said tines being spaced to receive said hose and align the center of gravity of one of said coupling members substantially on said horizontal axis thereby being dynamically balanced upon rotation thereof.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including,

(d) guide means radially spaced from said axis at substantially the circumferential periphery of said ro tatable plate and axially spaced from said plate for guiding said hose, thereby to spirally wind said hose about said tines as said plate is rotated.

8. Apparatus in occordancew ith claim 7 including,

(a) means for axially adjusting said guide means, thereby to accommodate selected hose sizes.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which,

(d) said plate has a slightly convex winding surface, thereby permitting said hose to be wound concavely thereover.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which,

(d) said tines have outer circumferential surfaces tapering axially away from said plate, thereby cooperatively facilitating removal of the spirally wound hose.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including,

(d) mobile support means carried on wheels for supporting said plate operationally in its substantially vertically disposed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 491,821 Taber Feb. 14, 1893 1,825,488 Tobin Sept. 29, 1931 2,621,870 Barton Dec. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 186,981 Austria Oct. 10, 1956 533,421 Great Britain Feb. 12, 194-1 

1. APPARATUS FOR WINDING FIRE HOSE HAVING INTERLOCKING COUPLING MEMBERS AT OPPOSITE ENDS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) MEANS FOR ROTATING ONE OF SAID COUPLING MEMBERS ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING LATERALLY THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY, SAID MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO ALIGN THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID ONE COUPLING MEMBER WITH SAID AXIS THEREBY BEING DYNAMICALLY BALANCED UPON ROTATION THEREOF, AND 